All eyes on Pine Point condo proposal

Lighthouse Inn, part of controversial 2009 “land swap” with town, back with new project

SCARBOROUGH — One of the most controversial properties in Scarborough is poised to once again pack board meetings.

Nick and Peter Truman, who co-own the Lighthouse Inn at Pine Point, have initiated plans to convert their 22-unit seasonal motel at 366 Pine Point Road into 12 luxury condominiums that would be occupied year round.

This is the same property that, by all estimates, drew "hundreds of people" to Planning Board hearings in 2009, mostly to protest a land-swap between the Trumans and the town. In that deal, Scarborough decommissioned the end of Pine Point Road that ran past the inn and gave it to the Trumans in return for part of an adjacent parking lot, which later became Snowberry Ocean View Park.

The Trumans new project includes the addition of a third story to the building, which sits on a 35,000-square-foot lot (about 3/4 of an acre). According to Town Planner Dan Bacon, the Inn is in as R-4 zone, which permits no more than four housing units per acre.

"Motels are not allowed in that zone, but it's been there since before zoning," said Bacon. "This proposed use would arguably be more conforming than a motel, but 12 units on the amount of land they have still would be nonconforming."

The Trumans submitted the plan to the Planning Board for an "advisory review," an initial step preparatory to review before Scarborough's Zoning Board of Appeals, which has the power to allow the change of use. Essentially, the Planning Board reviews the pitch first, to coach the zoning group on what it should look for when it goes up to bat.

In addition to the change from a non-conforming business to a non-conforming residential unit, the project also may require the zoning board to grant variances from certain setback requirements.

"That's not really clear right now, so the code enforcement officer, on behalf of the Zoning Board of Appeals, has asked for more information," said Bacon. "One thing they are looking for is elevation [drawings] on all four sides."

In order to meet that request, the Trumans pulled their project from an Aug. 22 Planning Board review.  Had it gone forward that night, there were “seven or eight” members of the Pine Point Residents Association ready to monitor the proceedings, said group member Judy Shirk.

Although the association is an “informal group” with “nobody in charge,” Shirk often takes point for the group. She said she and her neighbors are not necessarily fighting the Trumans’ proposal, at least not yet. They just want to be sure the project is appropriate to the neighborhood.

“We’re not opposed to condominiums, or even the zoning change they would need,” she said. “But on less than an acre to have such an enormous building as they seem to want … well, we’re just curious. We don’t really know what all the details are at this point.”

Nicholas Truman said the renovation would not stand out from any of the other three-story condo units already built in the area.

“It’s going to be a first-class project,” he said. “This building is going to look extremely attractive and will broaden the tax base of the town.

“We’ve always run a nice place, with a nice clientele,” said Truman, professing some confusion over reaction to his business. “We’ve been here since 1952. My brother and I have run the place for 30 years. You’d think the neighborhood would be proud of us, but every time we try and do something down here, it’s like we’re trying to put in a nuclear reactor.”

Shirk admits that her group got off the ground in 2005, when the Trumans proposed a similar condo project. That one died on the drawing table, due to the public uproar. The “land-swap” went through only thanks to a last-minute vote switch by Town Councilor Richard Sullivan, who went on to pay the price at the polls, losing his next election.

“People don’t like to see change,” said Truman. “This residents group – and they’re not even direct abutters – they’re a small, vocal group that doesn’t want to see any change. We’re not asking for anything different that what others around us already have.

“I think when this is said and done, it’s going to be like the land swap, where people look at the park they got and they are just thrilled with it. They love it,” said Truman.

“It is pretty, but I wish it hadn’t been done,” said Shirk. “We lost our road. It was more than just a dead-end road. That was a year-round access way to the shore. Now, what we have is a seasonal foot path near the shore that the town doesn’t maintain in the winter.

“It would have been bad enough if the town had sold the road, but it just gave it away,” said Shirk. “We had so much and look at what we have now.

Shirk claims there is plenty of animosity over the land swap deal. Just because the town is no longer hearing complaints, that does not equal love of the result, she said. 

“After they gave the road away, I think a lot of people got tired of it all,” she said. “They just figured, the town is going to do whatever they want to do.

“So, this latest deal, I’m sure it will happen, too, regardless,” Shirk said.

Truman certainly hopes so.

“The ironic thing was that if the last project [in 2005] had got done, they’d still have their street,” he said, noting that longstanding efforts to convert the building to condo units is his way, as a “small businessman” to cash out his business and retire.

If he could have sold out of the Inn in 2005, he would not have needed to try and secure a better business environment with the 2009 land swap, which was all about moving his customer’s parking closer to the inn, he said.

This latest attempt to convert the inn to condos and sell of the units will eliminate the business, conform better to local zoning, and create “the most affordable beach-front property in Scarborough,” said Truman.

“I can guarantee you that when this thing is done, it’s going to be a win for everybody in the community,” he said.